The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-07-14

EXPERIENCES OF PROF.
KING AND THE WISES,

without Valvo Rope Driven to Sea,
(From the Philadelphia Times)
There are no two names better known
In the annals Of of American aoronautics
than those of King and Wise. Professor
Samuel A. King is now in his sixtieth
year. Since 1861 he has been a practi-
cal aeronaut, making his first ascension
in the summer of that year from the old
Geological Garden, in Fairmount Park.
Since then he has made 28G aerial voy-
ages and great many lesser ascensions.
His wife, who is quiet, modest little
woman, has made q number of ascen-
sions with him and regards ballooning
much safer mode Of travelling than car
riage riding. She is afraid of horses,
but doesn't mind taking jaunt through
the air mile or SO above the earth. In
one of her trips she once had a narrow
escape. 1t was two years ago ut In
dianapolis. After remarkably pleasant
ascension the balloon in descending sud
denly swayed when near the earth and
caught in a dead tree. The sharp branch
ripped the balloon open, causing it to
collapse, and landing the basket in which
she and her husband sat in fork of the
tree, sixty feet from the earth. AS quick
as thought Professor King braced the
basket with rope, until he had cut the
balloon away, then, dropping another
rope to some farm hands, ho loosened
the basket and was lowered over limb
to the earth. Neither he nor his wife
received a scratch.
The only timo he was ever hurt WAS in
an ascension from Augusta, Ga. When
he descended the balloon caught on n
dead pine and was torn. He attempted
to descend by the drag rope, when the
balloon collapsed and came down with q
crash, badly bruising, but otherwise not
hurting him. Somo of his voyages, how
ever, have been exceedingly pcrilous.
SOME THRILLING VOYAGES.
On October II, 1878, he went up from
Scranton, got caught in windstorm
and came down ut Oak Station, Mont
gomery county, 140 miles from the start
ing point, the whole trip consuming but
two hours. On October IS, 1881, he
made his memorable ascension from
Chicago with Hashagcn of the Signal
Service Bureau. He was up nineteen
hours, and descended in the Wisconsin
Wilderness, where ho and his comradc
lost their way and suffered terribly be-
fore they again came in contact with
civilization.
One night he was suspended between
Sky and earth for l3 hours over the Maine
and Canada wilderness. His experience
that night was thrilling and remarkable
The ascension was made at 4 p. IN. at
Plymouth, n. H., his companion being
Luther E. Holden, of the Boston Jour
ma. For six hours they hung over q
mile above the wilderness, the balloon
not losing foot of gas or the car an
ounce of ballast. When they landed
next morning they came down at the
head of a new railroad which was being.
constructed $50 miles below Quebec,
near the Gulf of st. Lawrence, over
which they had spent portion of the
night. The road was 200 miles away
from any other road or civilization.
They rode to Quebec on q blackboard,
driven by a French Canadian. Mr..
descent to an interposition of Divine
Providence.
In an ascension he made in August,
1875, from Burlington, Iowa, he was
caught in a thunder storm, and came
near being struck by lightning. The
expansion of the air acted on the balloon
and drove the gas from the neck on to
his head, and through the open valve
with terrific velocity. He had thrilling
descent through the clouds, and on
reaching the earth went crashing through
trees, landing twelve miles from where
he assembled, having been driven back by
the storm. The whole trip consumed
threc-quarters of an hour.
| AN AERIAL BRIDAL TRIP,
On the Fourth of July of the same
year he took party of seven, including
two bridal couples, over Lake Erie from
Cleveland. The balloon sailed over the
lake to Buffalo, where it struck a back
current and returned, passing Cleveland,
gradually approaching the Canada shore,
which it struck at Point au Pele. 1t thcn
crossed strip of Canada and 35 miles
of Lake st. Clair, landing II miles from
Port Huron ut midnight, having made
480 miles in l3 hours.
On another Fourth of July he took
five newspaper men from Buffalo to
| QUinton, N. j. Ho crossed the Ale
ghenies and followed the Susquchanna
as far as Havro dc Grace, took sharp
turn and sailed due east across Delaware
into New Jersey, the whole trip taking
thirteen hours.
THE WISE FAMILY.
Professor Charles Wise, under whose
direction the independence" will be
sent up, is the son of the late Professor
John Wise, Sr., who was lost while
making an aerial voyage. He made his
first ascension thirty-scvcn years ago,
when but l3 years of age, at SGannandalc
Springs, West Virginia. He went up
Two and one-half miles and staid up
three hours, landing sixty six miles from
the starting point, to which place he re-
turned in an OK cart. Four years later
he made mn ascension from Nowborry-
port, Mass, on tho occasion of civic
celebration, The wind was blowing to-
ward the ocean and the committee offer
ed to pay the price of the ascension
rather than take any risks, but after con-
sulting with his father he decided to
mako tho ascension. Aftor going up
$4,000 feet very rapidly and DESCENDING
| still mora raDi6lv no ciruoly DI,,,, IoIo,,1